Signs of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a result of abnormality in production of cells, as is the case with every kind of cancer. When the basic function of the normal cells is disrupted, and the body has no control over the production and destruction of cells, the condition is called cancer. The resultant abnormal division of cells causes the development of a tumour. All tumours are not cancerous, and those that are not are called benign, while tumour resulting from a cancerous growth is called malignant.

The deaths due to lung cancer between 1974 and 1994 rose by 150 per cent in USA. The main reason for this was increased incidence of smoking in them. Although women still not smoke as much as men, research has shown that they  to watch out for are:

1. Cough – Persistent cough is one of the symptoms of lung cancer but it is not a sure sign of the disease. Conditions like COPD can also show this symptom. Ask your doctor to tell you about the pattern of coughing specific to lung cancer.

2. Unrelenting pain – If the pain in your chest, shoulders or the back is not letting up and you find that you do not suffer from cough; it is a strong indication of lung cancer.

3. Chest pain – Lung cancer often causes pain in the chest wall. This happens when the disease infiltrates into the chest wall and causes pain. If you find intense chest pain for apparently no reason, consult your physician immediately. It is known as chest wall invasion or plural involvement.

4. Pneumonia – Pneumonia can result due to lung cancer as often the airway passage gets blocked as a result of the condition. If this is really the case, you would need to get done a lot of X-rays, repeatedly to ensure that all the opacities have been done away with.

5. Sputum – If the volume of sputum is increased, it may lead to change in colour of sputum and may even cause blood in it.

Some of the common signs of lung cancer are:

1. Fatigue.
2. Loss of appetite.
3. Pain such as joint pain, pain in the bones and headaches.
4. Having bone fractures even though there has not been an accident which could cause an injury.
5. Face or neck swells up.
6. Episodes of memory loss, and neurologic symptoms such as unsteady walk.